The Understaters
by Smokefeather
Summary: Two Norwegian Forest Cats have escaped from their pampered life as showcats, looking for normal lives. They stumble upon a group of cats who call themselves "Understaters" purebred, rare cats who smudge their fur, hide their beauty... FULL summary inside!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does.**

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**ANYONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR THE "CREATE A CAT" FORM, YOU CAN FIND IT AT THE END OF CHAPTER TWO.**

_Summary:_

_Two Norwegian Forest Cats, Moon and Sunlight, have escaped from their pampered life as show cats, looking to find normal lives. They stumble upon a group of cats who call themselves "Understaters" purebred, rare cats who smudge their fur, hide their beauty, and live in the wild, hiding from humans and civilization, and settle down with them. But when one of the Understaters are discovered, and in a misguided attempt to help their friends, threatens to give them away and, by doing so, destroy everything the Understaters have ever worked for, to what lengths will Moon and Sunlight go to to protect their newfound lives?_

The Understaters

The sky was crying that night, rain falling on the two cats' long pelts and plastering their silky fur down in shiny strands. Moonlight bounced off raindrops, turning them silvery-white as they splattered to the ground.

"We can't keep going like this," meowed the one in front, his ears pressed back against his head to avoid getting wet. His long pelt was a grey streaked with gold, but the gold looked more like brown wet, and the grey more like a velvet black. "If it gets any worse, we're going to have to find shelter."

"At least we got away from the cat shows," the other mrrowed, his black-and-white spotted tail waving from side to side in the air with the excitement of the escape. The contrast between his personality and the other cat's was apparent. "No more getting our faces powdered!"

The other laughed in spite of themselves.

"Yeah, no more getting our nails clipped! You always see the bright side of things, don't you?" He shook his head, smiling. "Remember that day that lady tried to clip your nails for the first time and you panicked and broke our owner's vase?"

The black-and-white cat grinned, and dashed forwards to keep up with his companion.

"How could I forget?"

Above them, lightning licked the sky, illuminating around the cats for a moment. A few seconds later, thunder crashed fiercely, making both the cats' tails fluff up.

"We have to get under cover, Moon." That came from the gold-grey cat, his brown eyes now glowing gold with fright as all around him the rain started to pound down harder. He began to scan the area for places to stay, rare when you were in the woods, and spotted a hole at the base of a tree, his eyes flicking away from it and then back.

"Yeah, Sunlight, no kidding." meowed Moon, then noticed his companion's gaze. His amber eyes lit up as he followed it and saw the hole. "Hey, good spot!"

Sunlight hesitated.

"It could be some animal's home." he meowed uncertainly. "I'm not sure we should go into..."

"Doesn't smell like it," replied Moon, starting towards the hole. He reached it just as the sky lit up again, peering in curiously. "Look, it's nice and airy. Just come, okay? Okay?"

The lightning appeared to have convinced Sunlight. He bounded over to the hole, cautiously peering inside before padding in after his friend. Moon hadn't been quite accurate in his description of the hole, that was clear. "Airy" might have been the opposite of what you would call this. Dark, dank, and small, it barely fit the two cats as they lay down and tried to settle down to sleep, not an easy feat with the noises of the storm outside. But exhaustion won over fear, as it often does, and eventually they both found their eyes closing....

— — — — —

"Sunlight, up, get up!" meowed Moon. Soft, rosy dawn light was shining in through the entrance to the hole, bathing both cats' fur in a warm pink tinge. The inside of the hole glowed peach. "You're lazier than a Persian!"

Sunlight rolled onto his back, blinking sleepily as he stretched his paws out, unsheathing his claws, then sheathing them again.

"And you're way too hyper for a Norwegian Forest Cat," he yawned. "You should be trying to copy my example, not wake me up!"

Moon smiled, and batted at Sunlight's ears.

"Get up! Now!"

"Fine...but you'll regret it the day I wake up earlier than you."

"Hah! Like thats ever going to happen!"

"You never know."

Sunlight slowly got to his feet as he spoke, ducking his head because of the low cave ceiling.

"What's for breakfast?" he queried. "Anything good?"

Moon frowned. "This isn't home," he meowed. "There IS no breakfast, remember? We have to catch it."

"Oh, yeah." Sunlight mused. "I forgot for a second...I guess I'm still half-asleep. We should get going, then?"

Moon nodded.

"I think so, yeah."

Both of them looked slightly apprehensively to the hole out of their cave. Neither quite wanted to leave.

Sunlight was the first to poke his head out of the hole, blinking in the sudden brightness of morning. A flock of birds took off from a nearby bush, shrieking in fright as they heard him. Sunlight shook his head, emerging out into the light and stepping to the side for Moon to come out.

"Here," Sunlight meowed, "why don't I take the side with the big tree and you the one with that little bush? When we've each caught something, we can meet back here, eat, and set off.'

Moon nodded in agreement.

"Okay, he meowed. "Betcha I get something before you!"

Sunlight shook his head. "Not a chance."

Oi. Who will catch prey first? Dun dun dun...

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**It will certainly warm my heart if you will read and review...and make me update...I might give up if I get too few reviews..**

**--Smokefeather**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does.**

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**A**

**Chapter II**

The sun was high in the sky before the two cats met each other beside the tree, each carrying their prey in their jaws. In Sunlight's case, that is. A sheepish Moon was ambling up to the tree, going up to his companion.

Sunlight grinned.

"Where's your catch?" he asked mischievously, his tail flicking in amusement when he saw Moon with no prey in his mouth. "A mouse? A bird?"

Moon made a face.

"I don't know...nothing. I just couldn't keep the twigs from snapping under my feet. Everything I tried to get head me coming,"

"Oh, really?" Sunlight meowed tauntingly. "Are you sure? Not even a shrew?"

Moon sighed.

"I'm sure."

Sunlight got up, revealing a small pile of fresh-kill that had been concealed behind him.

"I, on the other hand, had great luck in hunting," he meowed pompously. "I have here a mouse, a thrush, and another mouse. Easy as...anything."

Moon looked down, dejected.

"I guess I'll just eat berries or something then," he meowed, trying to sound exited. "At least I don't have to chase them,"

Sunlight looked down, then back up, a little guilty he had teased his friend.

"Don't worry, Moon. I won't let you go hungry." he mrrowed, slightly embarrassedly. "You can have some of what I caught. And, you know, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't think I'd catch anything, either. But it turns out I can be pretty quiet when I want to be..."

Moon smiled with the same touch of embarrassment. "Thanks..." he meowed, trailing off. "I appreciate it. You really are my best friend, you know."

The awkwardness of the usually nonexistent sincerity made both quiet for a second.

Then Moon spoke up.

"What are we waiting for?" he meowed. "I'm hungry!"

Not too long after, the two had finished the prey, and with their bellies full, were now discussing the direction in which to go.

"I think we should try and go deeper into the forest," Moon meowed, trying to wipe off some dirt he had gotten on his paw by rubbing it on the tree. "We might find another place like this one--" he gestured towards the tree, "and then we can just keep going from place to place. It'll be fun!"

Sunlight frowned.

"But what about finding a place to stay...with other cats?" he meowed. "And the forest gives me a bad feeling...I already scented something strange while hunting...and it smelled big. We can't just keep wandering on forever. We need to settle somewhere. And the forest is too huge."

"But there's so much prey! And you can teach me how to hunt your way, you know. And we've been okay so far, haven't we?" Moon protested, still rubbing his paw.

"Moon..." Sunlight mewed, deciding to voice a concern he'd had ever since he'd decided to run away from his former life, "There are some things out there that are dangerous, you should know that. And, well, you know, I don't really think we can face them. Not how we are now. Our claws are clipped--they won't grow back for a few weeks. And...face it, Moon, there are only two of us. Somewhere out here there's going to be something that can take us on...and win."

Moon looked at Sunlight oddly.

"It can't be...too bad, though, right? Other cats can do it, I've heard of them."

Sunlight sighed.

"That's what I've been thinking about." he replied. "Those cats have lived outside all their life, though. They're used to it. But we...we've always lived inside with our owners. They've always protected us. And I don't think we really know what danger is. I mean, who knows how many things we've overlooked because we've never had to face them before."

"You sound really different from when you said you wanted to leave," Moon meowed.

"I know, Moon. But then...it was a fast decision. And it really hadn't all soaked in until now...that we could be in real danger out here."

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**Ah, it ends on a serious note. Sunlight is doubting...oh dear. Please, to everybody who reads this, review! I've gotten 30 hits...and 2 reviews. Imagine if the rest of you reviewed...even if they were anonymous, I wouldn't mind. Imagine me getting 30 reviews with two chapters...it would be wonderful!**


	3. Chapter 3

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**I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does.**

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Chapter III

A little ways away from the forest, in the Understaters camp:

"--saw them yesterday night, in the rain," meowed the small, pale ginger Somali kit, her green eyes bright with excitement. "I didn't tell Flight or Song, though, you know, they were the ones with me, you know, trying to show me how to hunt, because they were too busy worrying about the lightning. But I wasn't worried about the lightning. I was watching the cats."

"You didn't tell your teachers?!" meowed the gold Abyssinian sitting next to her, her big gold eyes widening in horror. "But, that means we've lost them, and if they are Norwegian Forest Cats, like you said, then--"

"Peace, Hunter," meowed an older cat, who the kit had been telling the story to, across from her. His shorter grey pelt had lost most of its silver gleam, and his dark green eyes were weary and drooping. "It may have been just as well that Maple didn't call it to the attention of her companions. We have many cats already, and their future depends on no one finding out about the group. Already we have concerns about being discovered...and what would happen if we took two cats in who might not be trustworthy?"

The gold cat, Hunter, looked shocked.  
"But isn't that the purpose of this group?!" she meowed, tensing. "To take purebred cats in, who want out of their showcat lives?"

The grey cat closed his eyes. "But we have the future of the other cats to think about, too," he replied. "We can't enlarge the group much more--the more cats know of this group, the more cats can reveal this group."

"I could reveal this group!" piped up the kit, Maple, cheerfully. The others didn't notice.

"You're not the leader, Oak," meowed Hunter to the grey cat, her eyes narrowing. "You can't make decisions like that for the group. We have no leader!"

"This group would not survive without my decisions!" meowed Oak. "I am the one thing keeping us from disaster!"  
Hunter leapt to her feet.  
"You're putting those two cats in danger!" she hissed.

"I am keeping the group from disaster!"

"You can't stop us from doing what we want!"

The two were now face to face, ears against their heads. A chill had come over the camp, the sun had gone behind a cloud. Shadows of fear slunk into every cat…every cat felt the fur on their necks prickle with nervousness. All waited apprehensively for what would happen next.

Oak stepped back.

The spell was broken, the sun emerging again from the clouds, the cats' neck fur lying back down. Hunter exhaled and realized she had been holding her breath, Maple swished her tail and realized she had been frozen. All over camp the cats breathed a unanimous sigh of relief, relief for what, they did not know.

"I will speak of this no more," Oak meowed curtly and turned, his tail lashing from side to side, to walk to his den. Hunter watched him go, her body relaxing.

"Well, if he won't go after those cats," she meowed, under her breath... "I suppose I'll have to go after them myself."

Moon and Sunlight:

"This is so awesome, I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" meowed Moon, his eyes aglow.  
"I wish you'd never thought of it," grumbled Sunlight. "Rolling in dirt to disguise our purebred status and cover our fur in grime is not my idea of 'awesome'."

After a long argument, Moon had come up with the idea of rolling in dirt to cover their fur, so they could walk on human sidewalks without being caught and sold for the money a purebred would bring. As they now walked along the sunny street, they looked like mangy strays to any human--not about to be approached for fear of rabies.

"It is mine! I've always wanted to do this!" Moon replied instantly, forgetting he had only just gotten the idea from the dirt on his paw.  
Sunlight smiled.  
"Sure it is," he meowed patronizingly.

The disguise was working well, so far, none of the two had been given more than a glance from humans. Despite Sunlight's annoyance at having to be coated in dirt, it was simple and easy to roll in one of the muddy puddles from the rainstorm the night before. The few patches of their fur that showed through made them look even worse. Mothers told their children to stay away from the "filthy strays". All in all, a successful disguise.

Walking away from the forest, the two cats fell sufficiently cheerful in the golden, late afternoon sun that warmed the pavement under their feet. Their earlier worries forgotten, for now, they continued on...away from their lives, and though they did not know it...  
Closer and closer to the Understaters.

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**Please R&R! I accept anonymous reviews!**

**--Smokefeather**


	4. Chapter 4

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**I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does.**

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Chapter IV

Just out of the Understaters' Camp:

Hunter slunk through the shadows around the outside of the Understaters' camp, praying she didn't run into Water Lotus Eater, the sunburn-o-phobic Sphynx who wandered around the shadows wearing self-knit sweaters, peering at you with dark, navy blue eyes. Though, she reasoned, if she did run into him, it was unlikely he would be able to tell the other cats what he meant by "a ketTa, ketTa Hunter ketTa, go walking, out of, of, from ah-camp! Anta go see find them. Go! La, la, thatway! Oh, la, ana esefa, me point bad way. Thatway!"

Poor Water Lotus Eater, when he had first joined the Understaters, had spouted gibberish, or what seemed like it to the rest of the cats, for the first few moons before realizing that the others did not understand him. He was adapting now to their language...but it was slow. Painfully slow. At least it would work for Hunter's purposes.

Luckily, the muscular she-cat passed through the shadows without incident, trying to tread softly and silently on the dry leaves and twigs of late summer. A blue-gold glow was starting to tinge the tops of the trees around her, the blanket of darkness across the sky was lifting. Morning was coming, and she would have the comforting cover of dark no longer. Neither would she have the safety of most of the cats being in camp. They would start going about their duties, hunting, training, and building up the camp. She would have to make sure not to run into any of them.

A bird chirped, and Hunter's stomach twisted with hunger. She had forgotten to swipe something from the fresh-kill pile on her way out of camp. Too late to turn back now, though...she would just have to contain her hunger, at least until she got out of the woods, away from potentially running into one of her group.

As if the bird's chirp had been a signal, what must have been at least four or five birds began to chatter excitedly, welcoming the morning warmth and light. The gold Abyssinian dung her claws into the ground, resolving not to hunt until she had found the two Norwegian Forest Cats that Oak so wrongly refused to help. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued on, trying to block her ears from the sounds of the birds.  
Guilt and embarrassment now washed over her for sneaking out. Oak wasn't the leader! So why was she so afraid that if someone knew she was looking for the Norwegian Forest Cats, she'd get into trouble? But the question was too complicated to probe further. Hunter pushed it away for another time, one not so...secretive.

Sunlight and Moon:

Sunlight awoke to the sound of a disapproving squirrel.  
When he poked his head out from under the worn cardboard box in which he and Moon had slept in, he had spotted his friend looking up at a frazzled grey squirrel that clung angrily to his perch in a large oak tree growing out of a dirt patch in the sidewalk, the Norwegian Forest Cat's black-and-while, now much matted tail switching from side to side. When he noticed Sunlight watching him, he half-smiled, half looked regretful. Already he had proved he was not able to hunt, which was embarrassing enough, but this? This was completely undignified! Not that Moon was particularly dignified, but still.  
"I was trying to catch us something," Moon meowed to Sunlight, as always when he was hunting; sheepishly. "But the only thing I could find around here was this squirrel...and, as you can see, it won't come down."

"Oh," meowed Sunlight, surprised. "I was thinking we might go and get that thrush I buried last night for this morning...so we wouldn't tire ourselves out like we did last time we hunted."  
Moon blinked.  
"So that's what we buried it for! I thought we were just doing that for fun!"  
Sunlight stared at Moon like he had grown an extra tail.  
"You thought that I buried it for FUN?"  
"Er...no?"

Sunlight shook his head.  
"You're mousebrained," he meowed, white whiskers rising up and then down in a sigh. "Absolutely mousebrained."

Moon grinned.

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**Mrrroww...bad place to end it, sorry about that. But I wanted to put it up today and to do that I had to end the chapter before I got bored of writing.  
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**Please review! I accept anonymous reviews! We still need cats for the Understaters, also. Form on chapter three.**

**--Smokefeather**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Allegiances For The Understaters:**

**Hunters, gatherers, teachers, and fighters (Over six moons):**

Oak-- Old, worn Russian blue tom. His coat has already lost most of its sheen, and his dark green eyes are weary with the knowledge of many years. _Russian blue_

Hunter-- Golden Abyssinian she-cat with glorious amber eyes, very determined-looking. _Abyssinian_

Shadow-- Jet black fur amber (if a tiny bit green) eyes. Very small and lithe for a Bombay, she-cat. _Bombay_

Dream-- Small, light-build, black point (?) she-cat (black face, tail, legs, paws, ears), big ice blue eyes, sand-colored body. _Siamese_

Storm-- Feathery fur, feathery tail, white throat and belly, mixed black and white, green-gray eyes, thin build, she-cat._ Oriental Longhair_

Angel-- Fluffy pure white she-cat with glorious green eyes. _Persian_

Sheeba-- Sleek black coat with a hint of brown in it, and round gold eyes, she-cat. _Bombay_

Leeloo-- Fluffy calico she-cat._ Munchkin_

Faile-- Brown, black, and grey she-cat. _Maine Coon  
_  
Jason-- creamy white tom with black legs, tail, ears, ears, and muzzle. _Siamese_

Pine-- Small cat with a semi thick coat, is a dark greyish brown tabby with green eyes. _American Shorthair_

Snow-- Silver with black boots and warm hazel eyes she-cat. _Abyssinian_

Whisper-- Ruddy with black boots and hazel eyes she-cat._ Abyssinian_

GC Water Lotus Eater of Ra's-- He is a Sphinx...enough said. Well, to be more specific, he is a pretty big pale-skinned one with large, unblinking, dark, navy blue eyes. Sunburnophobic, it is rare to find him not wearing one of his notorious, self-knit sweaters._ Sphynx_

Fangtail (Fang)-- Shiny black short hair coat tom with green eyes, muscular, unusually long fangs. _Bombay_

Beadpaw-- Shiny black short hair coat she-cat with ice blue eyes, slim. _Bombay_

**Kits (under six moons):**

Lightning-- Orange tabby with amber eyes. _American Shorthair_

Ivy-- Very small with a thick coat, dark grey tabby she cat, green eyes._ American Shorthair_

Scrape-- Fawn with black boots and a notorious black studded collar. _Abyssinian_

Maple-- Small, fluffy light ginger she-cat kitten with green eyes. _Somali_

** I apologize for raising your hopes that there would be another chapter and then giving you only this...meow. Ah well. **

**Submissions of cats are CLOSED. I have removed the form and the description. Special thanks to Zoie, the-walls-have-ears, Nightclaw, DiamondStar LitterStar101, snowrules, Pinetail, rocketshippykittykinz, Heatherpelt 23, and Oscar the Wood-works Turtle for submitting cats.**

**Meow,**

**--Smokefeather**


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